Full Circle

Almost two months ago, I sat in the same chair at roughly the same time of day writing the first post on this blog. I vividly remember, how excited and how nervous I was at the outset of this trek to the Muslim world. I embarked on this adventure not knowing what I would find, and left not wanting to leave.
Sitting here in suburban Los Angeles it is hard to believe that I was there less than a week ago. However, I obviously was and am much the better for it. The seven weeks I spent in Maldives were a whirlwhind. During that time I experienced the life of the people, and became familiar with how another country views the world. Through covering the many economic problems in the country I learned that the rising cost of living around the globe is having a much bigger effect on this tiny country than it is on my own.
My time in Maldives also showed me a glimpse of what it must have been like in the U.S. more than 200 years ago, getting to see the events like the ratification of the constitiution, and observing the problems the country faces on the road to democracy.
Being in this country proved to me that the right to vote, something many Americans take for granted, is indeed important. It showed me that despite cultural diffrences, people arround the world are still people.
Still, there is no one thing that I can put my finger on as the most important experence I had in Maldives. I enjoyed life in the counry as a whole, and those are the most important memories that I will carry with me., as I go in with my regular day-to-day life